


The Snitch Thief

by TheBlindBandit



Series: HPSM AU [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Crossover, F/F, Quidditch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-10
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2286345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlindBandit/pseuds/TheBlindBandit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quidditch and shenanigans abound. Rei/Minako, pre-relationship Haruka/Michiru.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Snitch Thief

**Author's Note:**

> Part of HPSM AU, a collaborative Sailor Moon/Harry Potter crossover project originating on Tumblr.
> 
> House key: Rei, Haruka, Seiya (graciously filling in for Lee Jordan) – Gryffindor; Minako, Michiru – Slytherin; brief mention of Ami – Ravenclaw; Usagi, Makoto – Hufflepuff.

Hogsmeade looked as chaotic as it always did when rivers of Hogwarts students descended on it for their weekend trip. Pairs, groups, and even entire flocks made their way in and out of shops, eager to finally spend their allowances or merely get out of the November chill for at least a brief while. Rei marched down the main street like a woman on a mission, apparently impervious to cold, boots mercilessly crunching half-frozen mud.

If she tuned out the incomprehensible melange of sounds that was the crowd all around her, Rei noticed a highly specific absence. It made her feel like she was surrounded by more silence than she’d been in weeks, even during study sessions in the library. No squealing, giggling or chatter in her ear, no loud, wailing crying. She was unusually alone, and, even after several years of exposure to Usagi and company, she found herself surprised at just how quickly and thoroughly “alone” had managed to fade from her list of expected and accepted facets of life.

There was nothing to be done about today, however. Usagi’s spectacular failure to follow instructions during last week’s Potions class had managed to cause an unprecedented catastrophic reaction that had then turned every cauldron in the classroom into freshly melted slag. There’d been only a few light injuries among the students who’d had the misfortune of attending, among them Makoto’s Beater teammate, leading to Hufflepuff having to pull out of their upcoming Quidditch match against Gryffindor and request rescheduling.

The end result of the affair was Usagi splitting her formerly free time between detention and special tutoring sessions, courtesy of Ami. Makoto, once again a victim of her own soft heart when it came to Usagi, stayed behind with them in order to provide both moral support and freshly baked biscuits. All three of them had seen Rei off, Usagi with a lot more tears than the other two, begging her long-suffering friend to bring her back what seemed to amount to half the regular stock of Honeydukes. And then there was Minako.

Minako, who was still laid up in the hospital wing – and just about ready to jump out of her own skin due to boredom, if Rei knew her at all. But staying her prescribed six days and behaving like a model patient were conditions upon which hinged Minako’s participation in the upcoming Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match. This was seemingly enough to make even her take things seriously and not make even a single attempt at sneaking out – an impressive feat, to be sure.

At the moment, as she was in Hogsmeade for a particular purpose and hardly in need of distractions, these circumstances suited Rei just fine. Distractions still came, however, in the form of the frequent wanderings her mind seemed to be going on more and more lately, down various paths that somehow always ended with thoughts of Minako and the most recent developments in their relationship.

Catching herself lost in dreamy, mushy thoughts of bright blue eyes and tumbles of golden locks like the ones she kept having made Rei feel ridiculous – but it also made her feel strangely warm, like she’d drunk a whole tankard of the sweetest, most foamy butterbeer ever made. In any case, when your _girlfriend_ – another surge of warmth right there – happens to be bedridden due to the very incident that brought the two of you together, and you get to go on a weekend outing, it’s only right to bring her back something nice, isn’t it?

By the time she’d shaken herself out of yet another warm haze of a reverie, Rei was almost directly in front of the store she had been looking for. Gladrags Wizardwear, as the sign above her head proclaimed, was well-known for both quality and the wide range of its merchandise, so Rei figured it to be the perfect place for the shopping she had in mind.

Not wasting any more time outside and without sparing a look at the large display window, she pushed the heavily-decorated door before her and stepped into the shop. The entry bell hadn’t even finished its first jingle by the time an ebullient and surprisingly loudly dressed middle-aged witch rushed to Rei’s side.

“Good day, young lady! How can I assist you?”

The shopkeeper (assumingly) was beaming at her, and Rei felt slightly intimidated in the face of such friendliness.

“Well, uh, I-“ _I’m looking for a present for my ridiculous, amazing, frankly unbelievable girlfriend of about three days because she’s been in the hospital wing all this time and I can’t wait for her to be out of there but also she has an important match to play and I want to wish her luck and also show my appreciation because I don’t think I really do and-_ “…I thought I would have a look around first, if you don’t mind, see if something catches my eye?”

“Oh, yes, yes, of course, go right ahead.”

Rei nodded her thanks and proceeded deeper into the store, only to find the witch trailing her closely. She did her best to ignore her presence and focus on finding something among the endless colourful heaps and displays that simply screamed Minako – anything less than that she refused to settle for.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” the cheerful witch piped up again from somewhere close behind Rei’s right shoulder, just as she was finishing her search through a pile of gloves, none of which appeared to be in pairs and several that couldn’t quite seem to decide if they wanted to fit on the left or the right hand, “are you looking for a present? Or are you simply treating yourself, deservedly of course, to a lovely new piece-”

“It’s a present.”

“Oh, does the young lady have her heart set on a special someone?” The shopkeeper was positively beaming at the very thought, and Rei was mortified to feel her entire face aflame; probably – she could picture it vividly – and she _hated_ it - turning red to the tips of her ears. “She does! My word, yes, then we have to put in extra effort! Half-heartedness and hastily chosen knick-knacks in these kinds of situations simply _never_ end well!”

There was a blessedly silent moment of relief as the shopkeeper – a brief flash of an outrageously colourful embroidered name tag revealed her to be a “Mefalda” – seemed to fall into deep contemplation, her features a perfectly motionless mask of concentration.

Rei wasted little time on pondering her sudden good fortune and rushed away to take a look at some shelves a bit further down in the store. She reached another section with winter apparel, deciding it was worth a look – it would be very cold very soon, and Rei had her doubts about that Slytherin common room, so why not? A scarf, or a fluffy pair of earmuffs - there was a decent selection of those to rummage through.

The peace was not to last, however.

“Oh, but you have to tell me,” Rei froze at the sound of the voice behind her again, “what is the young man like?”

“It’s a young woman, actually,” Rei grumbled through grit teeth, her not-so-prodigious patience nearing its end.

“Aah, I see, I see. Hm, a rather recent development for the two of you, I presume? Oh, what an honour, to be able to assist the fresh bloom of young love! I have just the thing.”

With that, the unflappable shopkeeper grabbed Rei’s arm and all but dragged her away, leaving behind them a trail of brightly coloured earmuffs, some of which started singing in tiny, squeaky voices upon hitting the ground.

Once she’d regained her balance, Rei felt her face flare right back up as she stood, owlishly blinking at the display the shopkeeper had so proudly led her to. Oh, there was no doubt Minako would adore every single one of the items on offer. But there was no way Rei was buying something like _that_.

“A-ah, no, actually, I had something a bit different in mind. This… this might be a bit… lewd for the girl in question, you know? I wouldn’t want to embarrass her.”

_Oh, if you only knew._

Rei all but tore away from the shopkeeper before she could protest or make an attempt to grab her arm again, handing over the last pair of earmuffs that had gotten stuck on her person – a bright blue pair that promptly decided to try some major third harmonising with the ones on the floor. She began almost frantically searching for something that didn’t make her feel like her ears were on fire with every glance she shot it.

And then it caught her eye, its bright, solid colour making it stand out from the various patterned fabrics around it, and an idea flashed into Rei’s head. She couldn’t stop herself from grinning. It would be _perfect_.

—

There wasn’t a soul on the Slytherin team – or, indeed, in Hogwarts – that could call her anything but dedicated, this was a certainty in Minako’s mind. After all, the very first thing she decided to do with her newfound freedom upon being discharged from the hospital wing wasn’t to go see her friends or even Rei, but to sneak over to the Quidditch pitch to take a look at how Gryffindor’s last practice before the big day was going.

Although she made it there unquestioned and undisturbed, she arrived a bit later than was her usual time for these “covert intelligence operations”, as she liked to call them. The players had apparently finished their warmups and were already on their brooms. Minako crept to her favourite hiding spot – a conveniently shadowy corner between two stands - and settled down for some intent observation.

They were hopeless. There was nothing to it, it was obvious within two minutes. Their Keeper could barely manage to remain on his broom as it was; releasing his death-grip on the handle to actually attempt a save was out of the question. The two Chasers on the team who had the misfortune of not being Haruka Tenoh made some spectacular messes of even the most basic and well-known formations. The Beaters and the Seeker seemed to be doing the best of the lot, simply by virtue of not actually doing anything except hovering in one place and thus not embarrassing themselves.

Haruka herself seemed to outwardly be bearing it all very stoically, but if Minako knew her at all, she was about five seconds from flying up to one of her fellow Chasers and forcibly feeding them the Quaffle.

Minako smirked at her own mental images of Tenoh manhandling her team members one by one – it wouldn’t do to pity them _too_ much, after all. Satisfied with what conclusions she had drawn this time, Minako prepared to sneak away, calm in the knowledge that the Slytherin team had this one in the bag.

Just as she was turning to finally leave and hunt down first her team Captain to deliver her report on the state of their opponents, then Rei for some well-deserved teasing and possible cuddling, something moved in the very corner of her vision. Someone besides her had been observing the practice in secret, from a very similar hiding place. Minako had caught only a glimpse of the other intruder before she’d vanished, but, even so, it would have been hard to miss the very particular shade of aquamarine peeking out from under her cloak.

Curiosity about the story behind this new development took precedence in her mind. But no matter how hard Minako tried to find her highly suspicious housemate once back at the castle, Michiru Kaioh had apparently disappeared and what seemed like the entirety of Slytherin House swore up and down that they hadn’t seen her all day. Feeling just the slightest bit defeated and momentarily stumped, Minako stopped her search and prepared to set out for her meeting with Rei, questions still ringing out in her ever-busy mind.

_Just what was she up to?_

—

Ever since the earliest, foggiest, dampest and coldest days of her London childhood, Minako remembered harbouring a particular fondness for fireplaces. Whether it was listening to them, gazing at them, or cat-napping in front of them, when she found herself near one, she was highly unlikely to leave of her own volition. The crackle and orange-hot glow of a carefully controlled and barely tamed flame belonged among the very few things that could truly calm her.

She had to concede now, though, snuggling deeper into the soft armchair and the only slightly less soft girl beside her, that one Rei was worth at least ten fireplaces. All that complicated sneaking around required to get Minako into the Gryffindor common room had completely paid off.

“Aren’t you the least bit nervous?” Rei asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them, but not stilling the fingers lightly running through Minako’s hair. 

“About tomorrow? Nah. What do I have to be scared of?”

“Well, with the whole schedule scramble the Hufflepuffs caused with their request, and your team having to play two matches in such a short time, I’d think you’d have good reason to be worried.”

“We’re playing _you_ , for Merlin’s sake. If we were going up against Hufflepuff I’d maybe manage to scrounge up a bit of nerves, but you? Everyone knows Tenoh is the only decent player on your team and, try as she might, even she can’t win you the match all by herself. Besides, we absolutely _flattened_ Ravenclaw last time. Poor Ami was embarrassed for a whole week.”

“Fine, then, Miss Confident Quidditch Star,” Rei couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the sight of the wide grin on Minako’s face, “I have something for you. And I want you to wear it tomorrow - for luck, even if you’re so convinced you won’t need any and I should just make my peace with defeat, along with the rest of my house.”

Minako’s grin split even wider. “A token of affection from my sweetheart? How could I, the Goddess of Love, refuse such a thing?”

“I can’t believe you’re still calling yourself that,” Rei scoffed, now up to her elbows in the bag she’d carefully placed by the side of her favourite armchair earlier in the evening, trying to fish out Minako’s present, “as if a week in the hospital wing wasn’t enough to get it through even your rather outstanding skull that other people’s love lives aren’t a thing to be trifled with, especially not by using cheap Affection Charms? That so easily _backfire_?”

“Lighten up, Rei! I was just trying to help them – it’s painfully obvious those two were made for each other. And yet, and yet. I figured just a nudge wasn’t enough.”

“Certainly doesn’t seem to be. This was, what, the fifth _nudge_ you’ve attempted to give them? Sixth? They’re hopeless.”

“I am _not_ giving up on them! Besides, look what _I_ got in return for my efforts!”

Rei was still rummaging around in her bag when she suddenly found an overexcited Minako draped all over her person.

“Ugh, get off, you!” She grunted, struggling to extricate herself from the blonde’s idea of a hug and regain use of her arms. “Here! I got this during the last Hogsmeade trip, just for you. I was beginning to be afraid I’d managed to lose it. Or that it had ended up squirrelled away wherever it is Usagi keeps all the things she’s _borrowed_ from me.”

Rei presented her with a small, neatly wrapped package proudly bearing the _Gladrags Wizardwear_ logo. Whatever was inside felt soft as Minako turned it over in her hands, inspecting it from all angles.

“Gladrags? Did you, Rei Hino, really actually for real get me _novelty socks_? Oh, oh, is it the magenta pair with the tiny geese running around the toes and-”

“Of course not, you idiot! Not like you need any more of those, anyway. Just… open it already and see for yourself.”

A blissful few moments of silence followed, interrupted by nothing but the sound of paper tearing and crinkling.

“Rei?”

“Yes?”

“It’s… red.”

“So it is. It’s also self-tying, so putting it on shouldn’t be a problem. _And_ the shopkeeper said it was charmed to be stain-repellent, perfectly wearable on all occasions.”

“This is… really soft and silky and it must have cost you a fair bit. But… red? Rei, really? This is what I’m supposed to wear tomorrow? For whose luck, exactly?”

“Hey, you said it yourself: Tenoh’s team is going to need all the luck they can get, right?”

“Oh, you. I have to admit, Rei, I underestimated you.”

“Hmph. Well, never mind that. Do you like it?” Rei actually sounded uncertain, shy even, her glance roaming around the room and deliberately avoiding the only other person present. It was not a tone Minako associated with her, ever. “It- it made me think of you, it really did. The joke was almost a coincidence, honestly. But it’s bright and lively and _very_ in-your-face and I saw it and thought, well, that’s you right there, isn’t it?”

“Rei?”

“Yes?” Rei was finally facing her and meeting her eyes properly, so Minako saw no reason to waste a perfect opportunity, and kissed her.

“Well,” Rei let out slightly breathlessly once her mouth was free again, “I’ll take that as a yes?”

“I’ll wear it tomorrow, for the big match - which we will of course win, crushing you lot mercilessly, if I may add. Then I will wear it the day after, and the day after that, and the day after _that_. And I will go on wearing it until my tragic yet amazingly heroic death decades from now, from wounds sustained while saving a burning orphanage from a squadron of elite dark wizards who need the soul of one of the children for an ancient immortality ritual.”

“Minako, honestly, that is both ridiculous and morbid.”

“The dark wizards will be riding Hungarian Horntails.”

“Minako!”

“One each.”

“ _Minako_.”

—

The day dawned clear, dry and sunny – unusual for the end of November, but ideal conditions both for flying and for excitedly spectating the much-anticipated Quidditch showdown.

Michiru stayed in bed a bit longer than she was used to, then proceeded to very deliberately take her time with getting ready for the day. Only once her ears couldn’t pick up anything but blissful quiet and the occasional crackle of a fireplace did she finally make her way to the Slytherin common room. To her perfectly hidden dismay, she soon found she wasn’t as alone as she’d thought.

“Good morning! How are you on this very fine day, Michiru?”

The innocently bubbly tone Minako was positively smearing all over her words instantly made Michiru cautious. She narrowed her eyes slightly at the sight of her housemate, currently busy checking over the last of her flying gear, already mostly outfitted for the match. Changing rooms were apparently not something Minako Aino liked. She preferred to change into her Quidditch robes as early as possible, and then show them off a bit by walking around the castle and having breakfast in them, making as much of a spectacle of herself as was possible. The rest of the team had left a while ago - not that Michiru cared for Quidditch or put much stock in knowing about the daily goings-on, _really_ , but the ruckus in the common room had been hard to miss.

“I’m fine, thank you. And you? I do hope our star Seeker is at the top of her game this morning.”

“Oh, I am, no worries there. It’s your great friend Tenoh you should be worried about. From what we’ve heard about Gryffindor’s team this year, they’ll need all the help they can get.”

“Will they now? I’d be careful, if I were you. Underestimating an opponent has never helped anyone.”

“Hm. Whatever you say, I’m sure you’re right, as usual. I’m curious though, Michiru,” Minako finished checking the straps and buckles on her shin guards and stood up, drawing closer to her housemate, the bubbly tone form earlier mostly gone now, “when you watch these matches – and you do, don’t even bother denying it or putting on your little ‘popular sports are _so_ beneath me’ act, I know everything about your sneaking around – are you doing it out of a sense of House pride we were all fooled into thinking you didn’t have, or is there something, maybe even some _one_ you’re really watching for?”

They were almost nose-to-nose now, with Minako pushing forward and Michiru not giving an inch.

“You know, Minako, I’d like to think that my own personal, _private_ schedule is of less interest to you than the contents of your broomstick care kit are to me.”

“Humph. Whose side are you on, anyway?”

“I’m sure I could ask you the same thing,” Michiru answered simply, turning and walking away without another word or glance, but simply a barely-there brush of fingers against the tails of the bright red bow in Minako’s hair.

—

“Record-breaking scorer and commonly hailed as the ‘fastest Chaser alive’, here comes Gryffindor’s Captain Haruka Tenoh! Going with a rather pale blond shade today, I see. Did you know there is an entire club in this school dedicated to keeping records of and interpreting your hair colour, Tenoh? Well, now you do! Make sure you don’t disappoint them!”

Seiya’s commentary was a comforting thing in its consistency, at least. Minako could never keep from chuckling at their antics behind the microphone. Tenoh seemed to have an entirely different reaction to the jokes always littering Seiya’s commentary – perhaps because most of the fun was usually poked at her.

“And there’s Slytherin Seeker Minako Aino, with a very sportsmanlike show of support for the opposing team! Keep an eye on that one: after the spectacular show she put on last time during Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw, I’m sure she’s got more surprises for us!”

The crowd roared – Minako was the last player to enter the pitch. The next few moments passed in an excited blur for her; the two captains shook hands and at some point they all mounted their brooms and took off. Time seemed to return to normal only after she’d made a good circle or two around the pitch, and Minako felt her focus settle in properly.

Just in time for her to barely avoid two of Gryffindor’s Chasers clipping her, flying side by side and exchanging the Quaffle between them at an impressive speed. Not ten seconds later, Gryffindor had scored the first goal of the match.

There was no time for long contemplation and wonderment, as a Bludger zipped just over Minako’s head barely after Seiya had had a chance to call out the new score. The Bludger circled around her, back at the Gryffindor Beater who’d sent it her way and who was now smirking at her and mockingly saluting her. He bent low over his broom then, made what seemed to Minako an admirably well-executed loop, and hit the returning Bludger right as he was coming out of it, sending it straight at Slytherin’s Chaser Captain.

Minako merely hung in the air, gaping as her Captain was nearly knocked off her broom by the well-aimed Bludger and Tenoh swooped under her to catch the Quaffle she’d dropped. Before Minako could even regain control of her jaw, Tenoh had scored, again.

A minute and one flawless Hawkshead Formation attack later, Gryffindor was up another ten points.

It was nothing like they had expected, nothing like what Minako had seen. Had the practice been faked? There really wasn’t any other explanation, no “bad day” in the universe could account for this level of apparent skill discrepancy.

That didn’t seem like the sort of thing Tenoh would come up with, though. It wasn’t her style at all and Minako wondered how anyone had even gotten her to go along with it in the first place.

No, Tenoh simply couldn’t be the mastermind behind this.

 _Michiru_ , on the other hand…

Did Michiru have a hand in this? The more Minako thought, the more it made sense. Why else would she have been at the pitch yesterday? She obviously decided to care about Quidditch enough to make it the focus of her latest little game. Her indifference when it came to her own house was well-known, as was her _lack_ of indifference when it came to Tenoh. It all fit neatly into place.

So engrossed was Minako in her rapidly evolving conspiracy theories she almost missed the timeout being called. She made a quick landing, then slinked off to the side, to the very edge of the pitch, where she knew one of the tall stands provided excellent cover. She knew exactly who she would find lurking there - who she was looking to have a few choice words with.

There she was, of course, looking as perfect and as put-together as ever and completely undaunted by the angry Seeker stomping towards her. Minako wasted no time.

“It was you, wasn’t it, Michiru? You played me, you played our whole team, and our entire House.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. Did one of those Bludgers get too close? Perhaps I should escort you back to the hospital wing?”

“You. _You_. Ugh! There’s a name for people like you, and it’s not a nice one!”

“Go ahead, then. What is it? I assure you I’ve heard worse.”

Minako was just about ready to reply when the whistle signalling the timeout was at an end forced her to stop.

“Just wait, we’ll turn this around yet, you’ll see.”

“I will enjoy watching the rest of the game, then. Good luck.”

Minako didn’t look back, but she could feel Michiru’s patented barely-there smile and sharp gaze burn holes in her all the same.

—

A little over an hour later, the Snitch still hadn’t shown itself and everything was going wrong for Slytherin, everything. What Tenoh had done to whip her team into such amazing shape Minako honestly had no clue, but the score wasn’t lying. Gryffindor’s Chasers were unstoppable and barely even visible to the naked eye, whizzing about and around whatever defences their opponents could scrounge up, landing goal after goal. The Quaffle hadn’t spent more than two minutes out of their possession. Slytherin was losing by well over 150 points and its Seeker could do nothing but hope to mercifully end her team’s humiliation sometime soon.

Minako was hovering quite a bit above the most intense action, trying to keep an eye out for the Snitch while also half-heartedly following the game below. Rei frequently teased her about her ability to spot small, shiny things with ease and her almost catlike fascination with them. Whatever the case, it made her an extraordinary and highly precise Seeker. None of this was of any help, of course, if the Snitch simply refused to show itself.

Suddenly, just as these thoughts had run their course through Minako’s mind, there it was: the tell-tale glint of gold. The Snitch was hovering right behind the head of none other than Gryffindor’s fabled Captain, almost as if it were hiding. Tenoh was so intent on shouting out quick directions for her Beaters she wasn’t even close to noticing, and her Seeker’s attention was somewhere on the other side of the pitch. She then quickly swerved and passed the Quaffle to her fellow Chaser with an almost lazy half-loop – completely unaware of the tiny golden ball as good as tailing her, a puny few inches away from committing a Snitchnip.

_Almost a Snitchnip?_

Minako felt the grin blooming on her face. Yes, her plan was a mixture of pure genius and insane inspiration. It would require highly precise flying and it was risky, so risky – but it would be completely worth it if she pulled it off. And she was certainly confident enough in her own abilities to try.

Tenoh had started forward again. In the blink of an eye Minako made a sharp left turn and dived, wind whooshing loudly in her ears and drowning out even the roar of the crowd.

“Could it be? Oh, yes, look at her dive for it! Aino has spotted the Snitch and is in pursuit! Eager to cut Slytherin’s embarrassment short, save at least a bit of face?”

She was so close to Tenoh now, and getting closer. Then, just as she was about to crash into the Gryffindor Captain’s back, Minako made a grab with her right, as if she was trying to catch the Snitch. At the same time she nudged her broom upwards and to the right, putting both herself and the now agitated Snitch right in Tenoh’s path, bracing for impact.

“OH, THAT WAS A FOUL OF _SOME_ SORT, HAS TO BE- TENOH IS OFF THE BROOM, AINO IS STILL HOLDING ON- NO, BOTH ARE DOWN NOW-”

 They were a mixed up bundle of robes and limbs on the grass. Tenoh had somehow managed to land face-down and was now spitting out mouthfuls of grass, sporting an impressive nosebleed and a rapidly bruising jaw. Minako remained as she was after coming to a stop from her rather long roll, lying on her back and perking up her ears to catch any sign of her absurd plan actually working.

“No foul called. A simple accident, apparently, and Aino risking her neck in an attempt to grab the Snitch, no matter where it was. But the question everyone is asking themselves is, of course, was it worth it? Does Slytherin have the Snitch? Is their torment finally at an end?”

For a long while there was nothing to be heard but Seiya’s excited rambling and the veritable wall of sound coming from the crowd. But then… tiny, whirring, almost panicked movement from the location of Tenoh’s right sleeve, a startled flail on her part, an almost reflexive reaction – and there it was, the telling shriek of the whistle. Just as planned, and executed to perfection.

“SNITCHNIP! TENOH HAS THE SNITCH, AUTOMATIC FORFEIT! GRYFFINDOR IS OUT OF THE GAME! What a twist! Nobody could have expected this! This _amazingly_ certain win for Gryffindor, torn out of their hands by none other than their own Captain! This is certainly one for the books, everyone!”

As Tenoh realised what the tiny object now lying still in her hand actually was, the stunned and confused look on her face slowly turned into abject horror. By the time the full reality of the situation had dawned on her, her expression was absolute gold and Minako couldn’t contain her laughter any longer – especially as she noticed the roots of Tenoh’s hair take on a reddish-pink tinge.

The arm Minako had used to break her fall throbbed, badly twisted, and, judging by the scraping feeling in her chest as she failed to resist giggling, at least one of her ribs was cracked, if not broken. But nothing in the world could even slightly dim her delight and glee, not even the prospect of long, lonely nights in the hospital wing, again, not two days after she’d last been discharged.

And there, just there, almost lurking among the crowd – the crowd that had gone absolutely wild over the past minute or so, of course – was a brief flash of aquamarine as the only Slytherin displeased with the unexpected turn of events made her way off the pitch, slinking off to who knew where.

—

“You did that completely on purpose, Minako. Don’t think I don’t know how you work.”

“I did nothing of the sort! I was just doing my job, trying to get my hands on the Snitch, being as I am _the Seeker_ , or the one who is _supposed_ to catch it, when your _girlfriend_ had to get her scruffy hue-changing head in the way.”

“For the last time, she is _not_ my girlfriend and that was a highly suspect call on the judge’s part.”

“There was absolutely nothing doubtful about it and the flesh memory showed as indisputably as possible that Haruka was the one who touched it, not me. Thus, the automatic forfeit. It’s not like I make the rules.”

There it was again, the Look. Michiru was probably incensed. Nothing as plebeian as an open display of angry feelings, of course, but it felt obvious to Minako all the same. She felt she had better things to do, though, and more important people to use visiting hours on than Michiru Kaioh. Like Rei, for example, who she currently found herself cuddled up against in what was probably a highly irregular and rule-violating position on the hospital bed.

“Go and nurse your girlfriend back to health, why don’t you. See, you have your side of the hospital wing, we have ours, and we never have to lay eyes on each other again.”

Michiru didn’t even bother arguing anymore and only shot another Look her way in reply, but Minako was beyond caring - and Rei was so, so warm…

With the combination of soothing comfort and what was probably a veritable cocktail of potions in her system, Minako was half-asleep when she heard the soft voices wafting from the bed across, where Tenoh was recovering - and where Michiru had presumably gone some unidentifiable time ago.

“You know, you really don’t have to stay down there anymore. Where you were today, I mean. I know you don’t like Quidditch but- but if you _do_ want to watch me play I- I could make sure you had an extra nice place in the stands?”

The words were hesitant and slightly slurred due to her only recently fixed jaw, and Tenoh seemed a bit out of it herself – her nose had been rather badly broken, and she’d been diagnosed with a concussion to top it all off, so the potion mix they had her on was probably quite a bit worse than Minako’s - but the sentiments were clear.

“Tenoh is an oblivious idiot sometimes, isn’t she?” Minako whispered, “I almost feel sorry for her. And you. You know, Rei, I really don’t understand how you can be as good friends with Michiru as you are.”

“She can be quite nice, once you get to know her. You know what I think your problem is with her? You’re too similar in some ways, and that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Similar? Pfft, nonsense.”

“Whatever you say.”

Rei didn’t continue that train of thought, as she heard Michiru starting to answer. Her tone was completely different than what Rei had ever heard her use before, and it felt rather startling. She also couldn’t help but feel awful for intruding on her homework-partner-turned-friend in what felt like a surprisingly private moment.

“Oh, Haruka. Of course I’ll come see you fly. I’ve been to your every match, you know. You may not have seen me, but I was there, watching you.”

“Really? Even the one when I got hit by a Bludger and fell off my broom and ended up hanging off of one of the goalposts?”

“Even that one.”

The issuing groan and weak moan of a _Nooo_ made both Rei and Minako giggle, causing Michiru to tear her attention away from the bed she was hovering over, just long enough to shake her head at the pair and draw the privacy curtains.

Without the distraction their two fellow students had presented, both Minako and Rei sank into a comfortable, sleepy silence. Until Rei couldn’t help herself anymore.

“You _did_ do it on purpose, though, didn’t you?”

“Not you too, Rei! Does nobody believe me?”

“Not one bit.”

“Well, if you _must_ know,” Minako raised herself up on her elbows, as if preparing to make an important announcement, “Slytherin has you to thank for today’s victory.”

“Really? How so? Please tell me so I can make sure I never do anything of the sort again.”

“Oh, that might be hard. You see, a whole lot of it was down to pure luck today, and I knew I could trust mine, because my gorgeous, amazing, passionate girlfriend had given me a beautiful and supremely lucky token of her love…”

Rei laughed louder than was probably polite. Despite the silly look on Minako’s face and the over-the-top wide-eyed adoring gaze she was giving Rei from where she was lying on her lap, it was obvious to Rei that Minako honestly believed and meant a lot of what she was saying. This made it particularly difficult to suppress the blush blooming over her cheeks, no matter how hard Rei tried.

“You are horrible at flattery, Minako.”

“Thank you, I do try. But remember, everyone who comes up against Slytherin is doomed now, because the only way I’m giving up this bow is if they pry it from my cold, dead hands.”

“Not that again, Minako…”

“They’ll need at least six Hungarian Horntails, I think.”

“ _Minako._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Quidditch Through The Ages has this to say:
> 
>  
> 
> _(FOUL) Snitchnip: All players but Seeker | Any player other than Seeker touching or catching the Golden Snitch_
> 
>  
> 
> I thought I was being awfully original with this, only to realise that Rowling had actually beat me to it in the Pottermore Quidditch World Cup 2014 writeups. Alas.


End file.
